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Chapter 69: The Collision

Author: Evve
last update Last Updated: 2026-01-02 17:30:51

The American Museum of Natural History was a cathedral of bones.

It was vast, echoing, and smelled faintly of floor wax and old dust—the scent of time standing still. It was the perfect place to hide, surrounded by things that had already lived, died, and been cataloged.

Aurora walked through the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, her heels clicking a sharp, solitary rhythm on the terrazzo floor. She was wearing her "weekend armor"—dark denim, a oversized cashmere sweater the color of oatmeal, and the inevitable sunglasses, though she had pushed them up onto her head in the dim light.

Ethan was five steps ahead of her. Always five steps.

He was vibrating with energy, a small, navy-blue blur darting between the massive, fossilized legs of an Apatosaurus.

"Maman! Look! It’s the Grand Dragon!" he shouted, pointing at the T-Rex, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling.

"It is a Tyrannosaurus, mon ange," Aurora corrected gently, keeping her eyes on him, her internal radar sweeping the room.

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